Grail is BS

[Bluntrauma]

Yes I'm crying foul and calling bullshit...in a nice way. I used to think that there was a grail. One knife that would make me say, I don't need another one. I am convinced that Spyderco has ruined me. I have bought several knives that were "the one" only to realize that there was another "the one" around the corner. So does anyone really believe in the grail above all others that makes you say "I'm done?" :D

[The Deacon]

Do you own a Stretch? :D Know if I ever had to limit myself to one, the Stretch would be it.

[sarguy]

A Grrrrrraaaaiiiiillll?


Personally I think the Spyderco "grail" is not a physical knife per se, but something along the lines of Kaizen (continuous improvement) mixed with Moksha. It is the pursuit of the blade, not its obtainment. After we obtain a knife, is that all? Does the grail cease to exist once we lay hands upon it? Or does the grail emerge when we fully appreciate the cutting experience, welcoming the amalgam of Sal's dreams, our hopes, and the task at hand?

[Doc Pyres]

A Grrrrrraaaaiiiiillll?


Personally I think the Spyderco "grail" is not a physical knife per se, but something along the lines of Kaizen (continuous improvement) mixed with Moksha. It is the pursuit of the blade, not its obtainment. After we obtain a knife, is that all? Does the grail cease to exist once we lay hands upon it? Or does the grail emerge when we fully appreciate the cutting experience, welcoming the amalgam of Sal's dreams, our hopes, and the task at hand?

Mmmmmm! Grasshopper! Now we are beginning to see the true nature of 'the grail'.... :D :)

[huugh]

Do you own a Stretch? :D Know if I ever had to limit myself to one, the Stretch would be it.

I did buy a Stretch (CF version), one of the reasons being it so highly praised here.

However, it seems not to "do" it for me. It is not "bad", but I find Military much better choice.

[Jay_Ev]

LOL @ sarguy

[bh49]

Do you own a C83 Persian? :D Know if I ever had to limit myself to one, the Persian would be it. :D (almost like Paul, just change Stretch to Persian :) :D )

But why limit yourself to just one knife. I love my Caly3 and Kopas as well. Even more, last weekend I was cutting some vine on my yard with Persian. Some of them were difficult to reach and I realized that Spyderhawk will do this job easier. I need to get one. Different tools for different tasks, still nothing is better than Persian (Caly3 is very close).

[bowarrow2000]

It is possible that the "Grail" is in the eye of the beholder.

[Sequimite]

It is the nature of things that some of our desires and needs are in opposition to one another. I want a guitar that sings and sustains, a cymbal with a full harmonic range that cuts, a blade both tough and delicate, long enough and short enough, with a substantial comfortable handle that doesn't block my pocket, etc.

Whatever Spyderco is in your pocket answers 90% of your needs. Like others on this forum, I enjoy seeking the new model that will push that up to 91%.

The grail is an entertaining or possibly frustrating illusion. Just never forget the wisdom of the sixties, love the one you're with, man.

[Billy]

Hmmm....the pursuit of the perfect knife that would keep you happy for the rest of your life. I agree with most that there is no one knife, but, if I had to choose just one and sell all the rest, it would be my BG-42 Military. For me it is the perfect combination of cutting power, slicing ability, edge-holding ability, light weight, easy pocketability, great ergos and aesthetic beauty. :D

There are a few that come very close like the C83 Persian, Kris and Stretch. I could also make due just fine with one of my Delicas (I did just that for many, many years) or even an Endura, but the Military is just that good and the CF BG-42 is the best of them all for me.

For me, the grail pursuit is about obtaining and trying all kinds of different knives in different steels, blade shapes, handle styles, handle materials, lock types etc. Alot of them stay, but probably just as many get sold or traded off when I find them not being carried or even just "fondled" on a regular basis. That is the fun part and always keeps me looking both to the future as well as to Spyderco's storied past for new or new-to-me models to try out.

THANKS SPYDERCO!

[sarguy]

Perhaps we could call a knife that embodies the lifelong pursuit of the perfect knife the "Von Liechtenstein" :D

[Sequimite]

Perhaps we could call a knife that embodies the lifelong pursuit of the perfect knife the "Von Liechtenstein" :D

OK, I googled him. He's famous for a collection of poems on chaste courtly love. In one poem he takes on the persona of King Arthur. I've read my history, so I know that chivalry and courtly love were a cover for rampant adultery. So sarguy is saying, whether he knows it or not, that our aesthetic sensibilities concerning the perfect knife are merely a front for unbridled knife lust.

He nailed me on that one.

[sarguy]

Wow, you made me sound really smart! I was just thinking of how his relentless pursuit cost him a finger, made him wear drag, and once his obsession was sated, he was off to chase another fair maiden...all while having a family on the side.

[Peter1960]

[...] So does anyone really believe in the grail above all others that makes you say "I'm done?" :D

In theory I found it in the Caly 3 G-10, as this has been my >90% EDC for the last three years. But what to do with the remaining % to 100 %? So the search must go on and is a good reason for a bigger collection :D

That is only half the truth, I don't look for a grail knife ... I enjoy to collect Spydies

[Blerv]

I'm not at the point where I have a grail. Most of my stuff was a justification of the credit card not a epic hunt or journey.

Ultimately with knives like the Caly3, Stretch FRN and Spyderhawk it's hard to complain. Any conventional knife would serve me very well as a sole cutter...but with the relatively low cost of entry it's a fun hobby/addiction.

If I was practical I would sell them all for a Stretch and carry that with my Spin. Luckily it's not the case. :p

[phaust]

Do you own a Stretch? :D Know if I ever had to limit myself to one, the Stretch would be it.

I think you hit the nail on the head; there's no need to limit oneself to one. Perhaps a better definition of a grail is the one and only one you'd want to carry if such a restriction occurred, for whatever reason (zombie attack, widespread nukes, another end-of-the-world scenario that probably isn't likely enough to be worth preparing for, etc.).

[Ben_1323]

Yes, I believe there is the perfect knife out there. If Spyderco made a Caly 3 with a ball bearing lock and screw construction, I would probably never buy another knife.

Uh oh, now they'll definitely not make it...

[rlw1979777]

The grail persona is something that is an enlightening experience. I used to collect the knives I loved and then get every variation that was EVER available. The problem is once the hunt has ended and the prey has been caught, you miss the hunt. As I have seen with a lot of collectors, once they truly find almost everyhing they ever wanted, they start selling. I think the hunt is more of the addiction then that of having hundreds of knives.

I look at a grail in a different light now, as the hunt has its own rewards.

[The Mastiff]

I have a Grail knife. My tactic is to set it so impossibly high that it will never happen.

I want a Spyderco folder in Vascowear, or to be specific, Vascowears modern powder steel versions like Carpenters micro melt PD#1.

Not a fasvorite of Sal's so I'm pretty safe as far as always maintaining a "grail" to keep me searching for.

[bh49]

The problem is once the hunt has ended and the prey has been caught, you miss the hunt. I think the hunt is more of the addiction then that of having hundreds of knives.

I look at a grail in a different light now, as the hunt has its own rewards.

+1
knife hunt is fun.
Just few days ago I bought nice gents knife, I was looking for may be a year or more :p